title: Performance pay improves engagement, progress, and satisfaction in computer-based job skills training of low-income adults.
abstract: Advancing the education of low-income adults could increase employment and income, but adult education programs have not successfully engaged low-income adults. Monetary reinforcement may be effective in promoting progress in adult education. This experiment evaluated the benefits of providing incentives for performance in a job-skills training program for low-income, unemployed adults. Participants worked on typing and keypad programs for 7 months. Participants randomly assigned to Group A (n = 23) earned hourly and productivity pay on the typing program (productivity pay), but earned only equalized hourly pay on the keypad program (hourly pay). Group B (n = 19) participants had the opposite contingencies. Participants worked more on, advanced further on, and preferred their productivity pay program. These results show that monetary incentives can increase performance in a job-skills training program, and indicate that payment in adult education programs should be delivered contingent on performance in the training program instead of simply on attendance.
authors.affiliation: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE.
authors.forename: Mikhail N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Koffarnus
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: DeFulio
authors.forename: Sigurdur O
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Sigurdsson
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003200:Computer User Training; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011203:Poverty / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*; D011361:Professional Competence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
keywords: education; employment; incentives; reinforcement; vocational training